Freedom0115

Ok, here's my latest problem(s), they're kind of interwined. I've been working with Syrus (now 1 year old) on his retrieving. I had him duck hunting a few times this year and he did well, we had some fun and he gained some experience (which were my 2 main goals for this year) but he is still rough around the edges. The biggest problems were him being patient enough to sit still (which I think will just come with maturity and him figuring out that that's how it works) and staying put during the shooting. Typically, if he wasn't leashed once we started shooting Syrus was heading for downed birds or running in the direction the birds were flying. I resorted to leashing him to a tree to keep him with me until we were ready for him to retrieve, for his safety and also so we could get birds that might still be working us. So, I'm using a leash to break him of bolting as soon as I throw the dummy. I make him Sit (sometimes lay down), then Stay, then I throw and I wait varying amounts of time before I release him by whistle or voice command with a hand signal towards the bird (prepping him for multiple retrieves). I also throw the dummy into places where he can't see it land to work on blind retrieves. He's getting better, he won't break on the dummy so much, I rarely have to yank him back with the leash before I release him but on occasion I still do.

The problem I'm having is when he comes back, he won't bring it to ME. He does what I call a "fly by"; he bolts past me running full tilt, just out of reach, circles around me, stops 10-15' away and drops the bird. He won't come to me with it and when I step towards him to take it he'll either mouth it or pick it up and try to scoot away from me. I've tried moving away from him and calling him to bring it to me and sometimes that works, mostly it doesn't though.

I don't like that he's dropping the bird either so I've started practicing "Take" / "Hold" / "Release" by telling him to "Take" a toy, then saying "HOLD" and holding his mouth shut around the toy until I say "Release" and then I take it from his mouth. Is this the right way to go about this?

One other issue I'm having is he doesn't use his nose. He really retrieves by sight mostly and when I had him duck hunting that was fine 99.9% of the time. Every bird we dropped was either in the water where he could see it or in a field out in the open. There was one occurrence though where we dropped a few woodies in a pond and one made it to the bank while Sy was retrieving another. We looked for it repeatedly with Syrus and 3 hunters combing the brush but never found it. I think if Sy would've used his nose we'd have got that bird. So last night, since he's doing so well on going out and getting birds or the dummy by sight I leashed him to a tree, walked into the woods behind my house drug the duck dummy (injected with scent) around in a 10' area and hid it under some grass, all out of Sy's sight. I then released him as I normally would (using a hand signal to the area the bird was in) and let him hunt for it. It probably took a good 5 minutes or more before he finally found it and he did use his nose FINALLY to do it. I had to call him back and re-direct him several times (he was WAY off, 30 yards or more, which would be fine if he was using his nose but I was trying to keep him in an area where I KNEW he'd find the dummy to encourage him next time to do it again). Aside from using live birds, is this the best way to do this?

Thanks for your help as always fellas!

tailcrackin

OK, the easiest way to do this is gonna be to talk over the phone, man it is alot of typing. I will set you up in a routine, or what next scenario. Cool, sounds like alot of obedience for starters. Here's a little off the top of my head, sit, means sit, stay, whatever, so keep it simple, sit means sit. Take, is gonna be your key word for fetch, always, drop means drop. Patience on the blinds for a little bit, lets work on the basics first, get more confidiece in you and him. Whew, pm me, and we will try and go from there, ok, thanks Jonesy

MNfowlplay

okay, jonesy is way way more expirienced (since he does this for a living), , but from what ive learned from working for a trainer for 5 yearsis that he is trying to show you that he is in control. By running past you he is saying "im the boss and dont have to listen to you", he is also telling you he still has a little puppy in him. I think that you should force fetch him, if its a possibility...this will really help, and also get his commands down. Be sure to IM Jonesy and im sure he will help you a ton. thanks.

MNfowl

Doc E

Freedom,

Are you following a good modern training program? If so which one?



.

AlaskaMagnum

I used to hate Wolter's books, but their new books have been updated and re-written and are actually very nice books that would most likely take your dog through Senior Hunter nicely. You will need a more in-depth force fetch program though.

Freedom0115

Jonesy, I'll be in touch.

I started using Wolters book "GunDog" when he was a puppy but he fell behind (my fault) and I got discouraged so I gave it up. Basically, I just wanted to get him experience and have some fun while he was a puppy, see how he performed and then focus on his weaknesses. I've pretty much explained his weaknesses above and I've just been focusing on them with repetitive methods of my own.

I had him out last night again. As soon as I got home I took the duck and goose dummies and hid them. I drug them around some first and then threw one in a big rhodendron against my house and took the other across the lawn into a row of pines and totally hid it under leaves and needles. Then I went and got Syrus out of the basement where he spends his days in a fenced in area. He raced upstairs to pee and by the time I got out there he was already on the trail of the duck. I never even mentioned anything to him, he just caught the wind and went for it. While I had planned on the exercise being more "formal" I couldn't help but be impressed that he quickly followed the scent trail to the dummy, grabbed it up and came back to me (well, he did what he always does and avoided me, but he did find the dummy). I got the duck from him, called him into the backyard well beyond the rhody, made him sit and stay then released him with 2 blasts on the whistle and the hand signal to find the goose. It only took him a minute to cut the scent stream in the wind and he then bolted right to the rhody, searched, and found the goose and brought it to me. So it seems like he's picking up on the scent thing very quickly, perhaps his instincts just needed a kick in the arse for it to click.

Thanks for the help guys.

tailcrackin

Adam, got your e-mail, and replied, need you to email my other account, it would not let it go through, this wayI will just forward it out of other account, thanks Jonesy [email protected]

Freedom0115

Jonesy,

You will have mail shortly.